DEVELOPMENTS OF TRANSLATION STUDIES SINCE THE 1970 Done

DEVELOPMENTS OF TRANSLATION STUDIES SINCE THE 1970 Done by Group 306

KEY WORDS v concept of equivalence v theories centered v discourse analysis v literary polysystem v cannibalist school v postcolonial translation theory v gender

A true interdiscipline is. . . not easily understood, funded or managed in a world already divided along disciplinary lines, despite the standard pieties. . . Rather it is an entity that exists in the interstices of the existing fields, dealing with some, many or all of them. It is the Phoenician trader among the settled nations. Its existence is enigmatic in such a world; the enigma challenges us to rethink how we organise and institutionalise knowledge. (Mc. Carty 1999)

INTERDISCIPLINARITY

INTERDISCIPLINARITY This explains the changes over the years, from a strong link to contrastive linguistics in the 1960 s to the present focus on more cultural studies perspectives and even the recent shift towards areas such as computing and media (Chapter 11). Other, secondary, relationships come to the fore when dealing with the area of applied translation studies, such as translator training. For instance, specialized translation courses should have an element of instruction in the disciplines in which the trainees are planning to translate – such as law, politics, medicine, finance, science – as well as an everincreasing input from information technology to cover issues in computer-assisted translation

INTERDISCIPLINARITY It is also true that translation studies has in some places been colonized by language departments driven by the perceived attractiveness of academic teaching programmes centred on the practice of translation and with their own academic prejudices. Ironically, this has also exacerbated the artificial gap between practice and theory.

The linguistic study strongly developed in Germany. Many scientists work about theories, and some of them considered the most reliable, as famous concept of equivalence. But lately, it was questioned. Then, Germany has seen rise of theories centred around text types (while the Hallidayan influence of discourse analysis and systemic functional grammar, which views language as a communicative act in a sociocultural context)

Lately, in 1990’s, this method maintained in countries as Great Britain and Australia, and german scientists’ works had interpreted scholars such as Bell (1991), Baker (1992) and Hatim and Mason (1990, 1997). The late 1970 s and the 1980 s also saw the rise of a descriptive approach that had its origins in comparative literature and Russian Formalism. A pioneering centre has been Tel Aviv, where Itamar Even-Zohar and Gideon Toury have pursued the idea of the literary polysystem in which, amongst other things, different literatures and genres, including translated and nontranslated works, compete for dominance.

The polysystemists worked with a Belgium based group including José Lambert and the late André Lefevere , and with the UK-based scholars Susan Bassnett and Theo Hermans. A key volume was the collection of essays edited by Hermans, The Manipulation of Literature: Studies in Literary Translation, which gave rise to the name of the ‘Manipulation School’. This dynamic, culturally oriented approach held sway for much of the following decade, and linguistics looked very staid.

In 1990’s appeared new schools and concepts : q Canadian-based translation and gender research led by Sherry Simon q The Brazilian cannibalist school promoted by Else Vieira q Bengali scholars Tejaswini Niranjana and Gayatri Spivak (postcolonial translation theory) q The American Lawrence Venuti (the cultural studies-oriented analysis of, calling for greater visibility and recognition of the translator)

THE MAIN ISSUES OF DISCIPLINE Translation studies covers an extremely wide field, in which a considerable number of scholars and practitioners are active. Many translators have entered the area from the starting point of more traditional disciplines. Translation studies has in some places been colonized by language departments driven by the perceived attractiveness of academic teaching programmer centered on the practice of translation and with their own academic prejudices. Ironically, this has also exacerbated the artificial gap between practice and theory. It aims to bring together and clearly summarize the major strands of translation studies that have previously been dispersed, in order to help readers acquire an understanding of the discipline and the necessary background and tools to begin to carry out their own research on translation. It also aims to provide a theoretical framework into which professional translators and trainee translators can place their own practical experience.